Scottish government calls for UK to decriminalise personal drug use
Friday 7 Jul 2023
The Scottish Government has called for the widespread decriminalisation of drugs use (Picture: Getty)
The Scottish Government is calling on the UK Government to decriminalise all drugs for personal supply.
Ministers said the move, outlined in a new paper on drug law reform, would allow people found in possession of drugs to be treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded.
Decriminalisation would also mean that without a criminal record, people in recovery would have a better chance of employment, the Government said.
Other proposals include immediate legislative changes to allow Scottish ministers to implement harm reduction measures such as supervised drug consumption facilities, and increased access to the life-saving drug naloxone.
Scottish drugs policy minsister Elena Whitham said the move would reduce crime and help save lives (Picture: Getty)
The document outlines measures which could be implemented through further devolution, independence, or changes enacted immediately by the UK Government to support the work being done within existing powers to reduce drug deaths.
Scottish drugs policy minister Elena Whitham said: ‘These are ambitious and radical proposals, grounded in evidence, that will help save lives.
‘We want to create a society where problematic drug use is treated as a health, not a criminal matter, reducing stigma and discrimination and enabling the person to recover and contribute positively to society.
‘While we know these proposals will spark debate, they are in line with our public health approach and would further our national mission to improve and save lives.
‘We are working hard within the powers we have to reduce drug deaths, and while there is more we need to do, our approach is simply at odds with the Westminster legislation we must operate within.’
Other proposals include a road map for further exploration of drug law reform, focused on evidence and the reduction of harm, including an update of the drug classification system to be based on harms caused.
Ms Whitham said an immediate way for these policies to be enacted would be for the UK Government to use its existing powers to change its drug laws.
Home secretary Suella Braverman said illegal drugs ‘destroy lives and communities’ (Picture: Getty)
She added: ‘Scotland needs a caring, compassionate and human rights-informed drugs policy, with public health and the reduction of harm as its underlying principles, and we are ready to work with the UK Government to put into practice this progressive policy.’
The proposal was immediatly praised by experts and academics. Professor Angela Thomas, Director of Heritage at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and co-author of the introduction to the College’s report on drug deaths, said:
‘The College welcomes the publication of this significant policy document and believes that it makes a number of extremely important recommendations which align with positions we have put forward in recent years based on the views of leading medical experts and clinicians.
‘We fully support taking a public health approach to tackling the drug deaths emergency in Scotland and we will continue to give our backing to key initiatives like overdose prevention centres which have the potential to save lives.
‘As our report in 2021 did, we call on the Scottish and UK Governments to work together as constructively as possible to reduce the level of drug deaths and to look at how these proposals might be taken forward; many would benefit all parts of the UK.’
But within an hour of her statement, the proposal was dismissed by politicians from both major Westminster parties.
The spokesman said: ‘Whilst I haven’t seen those reports, I think I’m confident enough to say that there are no plans to alter our tough stance on drugs.’
But her proposals were immediatly shot down by Conservative and Labour politicians, including shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (Picture: BBC)
Later, a source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘Illegal drugs destroy lives and communities.
‘The Scottish National Party’s proposals are irresponsible and would do untold damage to our neighbourhoods.
‘This Government’s focus is on protecting people and preventing lives from being ruined – we’ve absolutely no intention of decriminalising illegal drug use.’
The issue is yet another example of the differences in policy north and south of the border, with both governments engaging in repeated constitutional spats over independence, gender reforms and the deposit return scheme in the past year.
Meanwhile Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves also ruled out the proposal, and told journalists during a visit to Scotland on Friday: ‘The short answer is no, I don’t think this sounds like a good policy.
‘I find it quite stunning that this would be a priority for the Scottish Government when we’re here today talking about the Tory mortgage bombshell and what we would do to address that.
‘We’re here meeting people training to do jobs in the industries of the future.
The Scottish Government has called for the widespread decriminalisation of drugs use (Picture: Getty)The Scottish Government is calling on the UK Government to decriminalise all drugs for personal supply.
Ministers said the move, outlined in a new paper on drug law reform, would allow people found in possession of drugs to be treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded.
Decriminalisation would also mean that without a criminal record, people in recovery would have a better chance of employment, the Government said.
Other proposals include immediate legislative changes to allow Scottish ministers to implement harm reduction measures such as supervised drug consumption facilities, and increased access to the life-saving drug naloxone.
Scottish drugs policy minsister Elena Whitham said the move would reduce crime and help save lives (Picture: Getty)The document outlines measures which could be implemented through further devolution, independence, or changes enacted immediately by the UK Government to support the work being done within existing powers to reduce drug deaths.
Scottish drugs policy minister Elena Whitham said: ‘These are ambitious and radical proposals, grounded in evidence, that will help save lives.
‘We want to create a society where problematic drug use is treated as a health, not a criminal matter, reducing stigma and discrimination and enabling the person to recover and contribute positively to society.
‘While we know these proposals will spark debate, they are in line with our public health approach and would further our national mission to improve and save lives.
‘We are working hard within the powers we have to reduce drug deaths, and while there is more we need to do, our approach is simply at odds with the Westminster legislation we must operate within.’
Other proposals include a road map for further exploration of drug law reform, focused on evidence and the reduction of harm, including an update of the drug classification system to be based on harms caused.
Ms Whitham said an immediate way for these policies to be enacted would be for the UK Government to use its existing powers to change its drug laws.
Home secretary Suella Braverman said illegal drugs ‘destroy lives and communities’ (Picture: Getty)She added: ‘Scotland needs a caring, compassionate and human rights-informed drugs policy, with public health and the reduction of harm as its underlying principles, and we are ready to work with the UK Government to put into practice this progressive policy.’
The proposal was immediatly praised by experts and academics. Professor Angela Thomas, Director of Heritage at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and co-author of the introduction to the College’s report on drug deaths, said:
‘The College welcomes the publication of this significant policy document and believes that it makes a number of extremely important recommendations which align with positions we have put forward in recent years based on the views of leading medical experts and clinicians.
‘We fully support taking a public health approach to tackling the drug deaths emergency in Scotland and we will continue to give our backing to key initiatives like overdose prevention centres which have the potential to save lives.
‘As our report in 2021 did, we call on the Scottish and UK Governments to work together as constructively as possible to reduce the level of drug deaths and to look at how these proposals might be taken forward; many would benefit all parts of the UK.’
But within an hour of her statement, the proposal was dismissed by politicians from both major Westminster parties.
The spokesman said: ‘Whilst I haven’t seen those reports, I think I’m confident enough to say that there are no plans to alter our tough stance on drugs.’
But her proposals were immediatly shot down by Conservative and Labour politicians, including shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (Picture: BBC)Later, a source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘Illegal drugs destroy lives and communities.
‘The Scottish National Party’s proposals are irresponsible and would do untold damage to our neighbourhoods.
‘This Government’s focus is on protecting people and preventing lives from being ruined – we’ve absolutely no intention of decriminalising illegal drug use.’
The issue is yet another example of the differences in policy north and south of the border, with both governments engaging in repeated constitutional spats over independence, gender reforms and the deposit return scheme in the past year.
Meanwhile Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves also ruled out the proposal, and told journalists during a visit to Scotland on Friday: ‘The short answer is no, I don’t think this sounds like a good policy.
‘I find it quite stunning that this would be a priority for the Scottish Government when we’re here today talking about the Tory mortgage bombshell and what we would do to address that.
‘We’re here meeting people training to do jobs in the industries of the future.
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